What does insecure mean?
Word: Insecure
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Insecure means not sure of yourself or your own worth. It can also mean not safe, or not firmly fixed in place.
Synonyms: unsure, unsafe, anxious
Antonyms: secure, safe
How do you spell insecure?
Syllables: in - se - cure
Tricky part: The word ends in cure, the same letters as a medical cure. Some children write secur or secuer and leave out or move the final e.
Watch out for: insecur, insecuer
Memory tip: Picture a doctor's cure kept in a locked box so it stays safe: secure, and insecure, end with the four letters of cure, e included.
Insecure in a sentence
Example 1: The loose ladder looked insecure, so Papa held it while I climbed.
Example 2: Mira felt insecure on her first day at the new school.
Example 3: An insecure password like 12345 is easy for others to guess.
Fun Fact
Secure comes from Latin securus, which joined se, without, and cura, care: free from worry.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Choose the prefix that completes the word:
secure
a) en
b) on
c) in
d) an
Show answer
c) in. Secure and insecure are a pair, just as safe and unsafe are.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word:
insecure
a) shaky
b) nervous
c) confident
d) timid
Show answer
c) confident. A confident person feels sure of themselves, the opposite of insecure.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) insicure
b) embarrassed
c) nervous
d) anxious
Show answer
a) insicure. After ins comes an e, just as in secure.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
inssecure
a) s
b) c
c) n
d) e
Show answer
a) s. Secure starts with one s, and putting in at the front does not double it.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these would make a house insecure?
a) bars fitted on every window
b) a guard at the main gate
c) a new lock on the back door
d) a broken lock on the front door
Show answer
d) a broken lock on the front door
2. Theo keeps asking whether his drawing is good enough. Why might he be doing this?
a) He is tired of doing his work.
b) He has finished his work early.
c) He is not sure his work is good.
d) He wants to show off his work.
Show answer
c) He is not sure his work is good.
